Kane scores twice as Hawks sweep series against Kings

The Hawks entered their 6,000 NHL game as a franchise with one goal in mind- to rebound from a rough shootout loss against the Sharks, and they celebrated the occasion by finishing off a series sweep of LA. Patrick Kane would score twice while Corey Crawford was stellar with 31 saves as the Hawks continue their west coast road trip, having earned six out of eight possible points so far.

The Hawks got off to an early start, as Drew Doughty went to the penalty box after charging Patrick Sharp just 24 seconds into the game, sending Chicago to an early power play that they were quick to capitalize on. Kanescored his 26th of the season to put the Hawks on the board at 1:02 of the first.

Bryan Bickell would make an immediate impact on his first shift in his first game back after being a healthy scratch. On a 3-on-1, Kane sent Bickell a saucer pass that he buried behind Jonathan Quick 8:44 into the first to put the Hawks up two goals.

The Kings would cut the lead in half before the period was over with a power play goal by Drew Doughty less than two minutes later at 9:52 of the first with Andrew Shaw in the box for roughing.

The momentum shifted in favor of the Kings during the second, but Crawford kept the Hawks in the game, making a number of solid saves. Chicago was also the beneficiary of the goalposts, as the Kings hit iron three times but couldn’t get a bounce.

LA would tie the game up at two at 6:30 of the second, as Anze Kopitar wristed his 17th goal past Crawford just seconds after a Hawks power play expired.

The Hawks would take the lead again a few minutes later, after a blast from the point by Nick Leddy was tipped past Quick by Marcus Kruger in the high slot to put the Hawks back in front.

Leddy would strike again to score what would prove to be the game-winning goal at 7:01 in the third, as he wired a slapshot past a screened Quick to give the Hawks their fourth goal of the game.

Kane would put the game effectively out of reach on his second goal of the night at 11:09 of the second off of a beautiful saucer pass by Sharp left him with a wide open net. Tyler Toffoli would put a goal past Crawford just 33 seconds later, but it was too little, too late for the Kings, who have now lost eight of their last nine games.

Three Stars of the Game:

1. Patrick Kane: 2 G, 1 A, 6 SOG, 18:23 TOI

2. Anze Kopitar: 1 G, 2 A, 3 SOG, 20:18 TOI

3. Nick Leddy: 1 G, 1 A, +2, 15:14 TOI

Quick Hits:

- Quick, one of Team USA's goaltenders for Sohci, has allowed 2 goals or fewer in 17 of the games he’s played this year.

- Though dominating most of the game, the Hawks were miserable tonight in the faceoff department, winning just 22 out of 63 faceoffs, or 35%. Toews won just 21% of his draws, while Kruger broke even at 50%.

The Hawks travel next to Anaheim for a Wednesday night showdown against the Ducks. Game starts at 9:00 p.m. central time.